Thursday, September 25, 2014

Where Have I Been?

Yikes!

It has been a while since I have posted here.

Personally, it has been an eventful summer for me and my family.

My kids are at that awkward stage of being involved in activities and not having a driver's license. Being the handy (as in nearby...not the good with tools kind) parent, they still put up with me enough to get a ride to their next gig.

Dad taxi. I suppose I could get the new big iPhone 6 Plus to blog on while waiting on the kids, but it would be just my luck to find out that I am capable of folding the thing in my pocket.

At work, my building was having major surgery this summer. Have you ever had to completely empty a band room at the end of the year and then completely refill it to start the year? Yikes. Finally have air conditioning in the music area. Probably worth the trouble.

What's news?

The interesting thing that I have heard is that MakeMusic is moving to Bolder, CO. I am going to miss that company being in my backyard.

In other MakeMusic news, they are trying to get SmartMusic out of the practice rooms and into homes. I think the costs of that are the stumbling block. If access to the student side educational/course management features were much lower they have something to sell there. I don't know what that price is, but with the fees this school is charging for a free public education, I understand the reluctance to add more. We will still do the SmartMusic everywhere plan at my building, but it is pricey.

More news?

We just had Dr. Chris Russell out for a training session with my district's music staff. He has had a wide variety of music ed experiences and has a technology solution figured out for just about every problem that a music teacher may have. Our group is small and diverse in assignments and he did have something for everyone. I thought the amazing part of his time with us was his ability to change topics during his conversation as needed. Very flexible and that is a sign of someone who knows his stuff.

Dr. Chris presents at most of the conferences in my neighborhood and occasionally out of state and nationally. If he comes to your neighborhood, you should go hear him. Not coming to a theater near you? Read his stuff http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/ or get one of his books.

Even more news?

I think I am finally getting a handle on my digital camera. Shot a lot at soccer games. This summer. It pays to shoot RAW, be using enough lens (300mm), shoot when the light is interesting (after 6 pm) and push the button. Push the button a lot. Edit mercilessly.